PAKISTAN-China Agricultural Investment Conference was surely a timely and much-needed initiative as its deliberations and interaction of the private sectors of the two countries will go a long way in fostering efforts of the Government to exploit maximum potential of the agriculture sector in Pakistan.
The event drew strong participation as it was attended by 119 Chinese and 191 Pakistan companies, reflecting growing interest to forge collaboration in agriculture. It transpired during the mega event that the two countries are set to sign multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for private-sector joint venture investments worth millions of dollars across 10 key sectors of agriculture. Addressing the forum, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif rightly pointed out that Pakistan held immense and largely untapped potential in agriculture and could transform the sector not in years, but in months, by adopting modern technologies, improving productivity and strengthening cooperation with China.
There is no doubt that Pakistan has vast potential to bring about an agricultural revolution that could help overcome most of the economic woes of the country, especially in terms of food security, a meaningful push to exports and job generation provided production increases optimally and value chains are developed on modern lines. The country has fertile land, abundant water and a comprehensive irrigation network, diverse agro-climate zones and a large rural work force. There is no denying the fact that the country made some progress in the sector over several decades as it was able to successfully feed its growing population but much needs to be done to realize the true potential. Regrettably, our planners and policy makers did not focus much on the use of modern technology, prudent water management, diversification from low value crops to high value exports, development of value chains and strengthening research and infrastructure to boost productivity and global competitiveness. With this in view, it is appreciable that agriculture has been officially elevated as a priority area of cooperation under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). China has responded positively to the request of Pakistan Prime Minister to offer scholarships to one thousand agriculture graduates in Chinese universities and research centres and this landmark initiative will enable these students to contribute efficiently to the development of the sector back in Pakistan. It was also satisfying to hear from the Chinese Ambassador Zaidong that his country wanted to increase the bilateral agriculture trade volume up to $1 billion with Pakistan achieving a trade surplus. Similarly, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research has expressed its commitment to supporting Chinese investors, from facilitating regulatory processes to ensuring seamless coordination with all relevant government bodies. The Ministry plans to sign more than 25 sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and export protocols with key trading partners, including China, in 2026. The 10 priority sub-sectors identified for investment include agro-chemicals and inputs, agricultural machinery and solutions, food processing and value addition, meat and poultry, dairy inputs and processed products, fruits and vegetables, animal feed and related value chains, fisheries and aquaculture, cold chain systems and agricultural produce logistics and food-grade packaging materials and equipment. The Prime Minister has expressed the confidence that the Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Pakistan soon and hopefully there will be some forward movement on bilateral cooperation in different fields including agriculture. The prospects are there but to transform them into reality requires consistency of policies, hard work and allocation of necessary resources. More important is the development of national consensus to develop the agricultural sector on modern lines, shunning the tendency to politicize major initiatives for the sake of petty interests. Friends like China are willing to share technology and expertise and Gulf countries are keen to invest and it depends on our ability to take advantage of the opportunity.
